"Master, fifty miles ahead is where the Emperor is leading the army for a temporary rest." This time, with him came Ye Liu, Ye Wu, and Ye Er, while Ye Yi and the others were sent elsewhere to gather information.
This trip to the south, although he uncovered quite a lot, there were still three prefectures he hadnāt had time to deal with.
"Letās speed up a bit and arrive before dark."
"Yes!"
They soon arrived at the armyās encampment, and Ye Ziāan first went to see Baili Yan.
"How did you become so thin?" Baili Yan was quite surprised to see him.
Ye Ziāan was unfazed, "Thatās just how it is when youāre outside."
"Donāt depend on your youth to neglect your health. Although I sent you on a mission, I didnāt intend for you to risk your life." Baili Yan paused and then asked, "Wasnāt Yang Chuxia with you? Whatās going on with her? With her there, how did you end up like this?"
"She fared no better than I did," Ye Ziāan replied. "Chasing after Prince Le to find Yangyang, she pursued him all the way to Liao City."
"How is the situation in Liao City now?"
Talking about the war, Ye Ziāan adopted a serious tone, "When I arrived, both sides were in a state of rest. They had fought several small battles and one major battle. The Great Qi army is now at the foot of Liao City. Although Liao City is easy to defend and hard to attack, Great Qiās forces are at least six hundred thousand strong."
"That many?" Baili Yan took a sharp breath. He had brought two hundred and fifty thousand troops, and together with Old Muās men, they didnāt even total five hundred thousand.
"Indeed, and the young Emperor of Great Qi is personally leading the expedition, with Baili Han commanding the troops."
Upon hearing Baili Hanās name, Baili Yanās expression turned somber.
He thought to himself that this was finally the chance to measure himself against Baili Han.
These past few years, he had truly felt oppressed by him, and even in the court, there were whispers that he was not as strategic and farsighted as Prince Le.
If it werenāt for Prince Leās disregard for the welfare of the people, the court officials wouldnāt have supported him as Emperor.
Now he must avenge past humiliations! Lack of manpower is no big deal; history is not short of examples of the few defeating the many.
Baili Yan said in a determined voice, "Tomorrow, I will move camp and advance west!"
"Mu Shaoling is still in Liao City."
Upon hearing that Baili Yan planned to personally lead the expedition, he decided not to return, so he could treat any injured in time.
"Thatās excellent. By the way, Yangyang has returned, hasnāt he? Where is he?"
He still missed that child a bit.
"Iāll have him come see you later."
"Alright, weāll dine together tonight."
Upon meeting Baili Yan, Yangyang saw him dressed in dragon robes and hurried forward to pay his respects.
"Emperor, you look great in dragon robes!"
Baili Yan laughed heartily at this remark; it was the first time anyone had praised him like that.
"You little rascal, if the dragon robes look good, why didnāt you become Emperor when Prince Le of Great Qi offered it to you?"
He had heard about Yangyang in Great Qi; later, another child had ascended the throne, which he found quite regrettable.
Yang Chuxia and Ye Ziāan were startled by this question; why not become Emperor was indeed a sensitive topic, and they werenāt sure what Baili Yan intended by asking it.
"Why would I want to be Emperor?" Yangyang blinked his eyes. "Being Emperor is so tiring, you have to get up before 5:00 a.m. and are still not asleep by 11:00 p.m. Every day there are endless documents to review, you have to attend court on time, and listen to a bunch of old folks babbling. Whatās most irritating is that you canāt eat more than three bites of your favorite dishes."